Manufacture of mechanical bindings



June 12, 1956 on. TRUSSELL MANUFACTURE OF MECHANICAL BINDINGS OrigihalFild March 1'7, 1950 I N V E N TO R. Zia/75m; fl 75055511.

Nitrif- ATTORNEY United States Patent O "ice MANUFACTURE OF MECHANICAL BINDINGS Clarence D. Trussell, Turnwood, N. Y.

Original application March 17, 1950, Serial No. 150,219,

now Patent No. 2,645,816, dated July 21, 1953. Divided and this application January 26, 1953, Serial No. 333,215

3 Claims. (Cl. 29-415) The invention disclosed in this patent application is a division of patent application Serial No. 150,219, filed March 17, 1950, Patent No. 2,645,816, dated July 21, 1953, and relates to manufacture of mechanical bindings such as disclosed in Patents 2,502,493 of April 4, 1950, and 2,595,427 of May 6, 1952, in which a rib of tubular formation has ring forming fingers projecting from one side and tucked into slots provided to receive the ends of the fingers, in the opposite side.

Objects of this invention are to efiect manufacture of such bindings from fiat material and to accomplish this in a practical, economical way.

Special objects of the invention are to accomplish manufacture of these mechanical bindings with simple manufacturing steps permitting of high speed, low cost production.

Other desirable objects and the novel features through which the purposes of the invention are attained are set forth and Will appear in the course of the following specification.

The drawing accompanying and forming part of the specification illustrates a present preferred sequence of steps constituting the invention, but it will be appreciated that the same may be modified and changed as regards the immediate illustration, all within the true intent and broad scope of the invention as hereinafter defined and claimed.

Fig. 1 in the drawing is a broken plan view illustrating a flat ribbon or strip of material such as plastic, punched along opposite edges with ring locking openings;

Fig. 2 is a broken perspective view showing the punched edge portions of the strip rolled to form tubular ribs;

Fig. 3 is a broken plan view showing the intermediate web material between the tubular ribs punched to form companion binder blanks;

Figs. 4 and 5 are broken perspective views showing adjoining companion blanks separated, with the ring fingers of the same rolled or curled into ring forming relation.

The present invention involves the use of flat strip stock 32, usually of suitable plastic.

This strip or ribbon of material is punched along opposite edges with slots 26 spaced apart the width of the ring forming fingers and in staggered relation at the opposite edges.

After punching, the edge portions containing the slots are rolled into the form of tubular ribs, as shown at 200 in Fig. 2.

After these preliminary punching and forming operations the web portion of the stock between the tubular ribs may be punched as shown in Fig. 3, along a zig zag line 21a to define ring forming fingers 21 alternately attached to the opposite ribs and to effect separation of the two companion blanks.

In this same finger outlining and blank severing operation, transverse slots 29 may be punched in the tips of the fingers to receive and interlock with the shoulders 28 left at the edges of the slots 26 in the ribs.

2,749,603 Patented June 12, 1956 After production of the opposing blanks outlined in Fig. 3, the ring forming fingers 21 may be curled and given the desired set, as illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5, ready to receive the material to be bound and to have the ends forced closed and interlocked in the tubular ribs.

If the rings are to be of the self-closing type as covered in Patent 2,572,681 of October 23, 1951, the bending and setting of the ring forming fingers may be such as to bias them past the fully closed or truly circular position so that they will hold closed once they are entered in the slots.

The operations described may be performed economically in a complete sequence of steps, by automatic or semi-automatic means of relatively simple, inexpensive construction.

While usually convenient to strike the slots 29 or provide the locking shoulders at the ends of the ring forming fingers in the blanking or severing operation, these finger slotting and shoulder forming operations may be performed before or after the severing.

Also, While usually considered best to punch or otherwise form the finger receiving openings 26 before curling the edges of the strip, it is contemplated that they may be formed after the edge portions are rolled into the tubular rib formation.

The severing operation by which the intervening web of sheet material between the tubular ribs is cut in zig zag fashion into transversely extending fingers alternately connected with the ribs at the opposite sides of the stock, may be performed as a simple press operation.

All the actions described may be performed in a continuous step-by-step operation, or independently as successive steps on different machines.

In Fig. 1 the Zig Zag severance line 21a is indicated in dot to show how the fingers connected with the opposite side portions will line up with the slots provided in those side portions.

What is claimed is:

1. The herein disclosed method of manufacturing mechanical bindings comprising forming rows of aligned slots of equal length and equally spaced along apposite edges of a ribbon of sheet material and with the slots along one edge portion offset in respect to the slots along the opposite edge portion, rolling the slotted edge portions of the sheet material into tubular rib formations and severing the web portion of the material between said tubular ribs transversely into finger portions alternately connected with the opposite ribs and in line to enter the slots in the ribs with which they are connected and at one stage imparting curvature to said finger forming portions of the material.

2. The herein disclosed method of manufacturing mechanical bindings comprising forming rows of aligned slots of equal length and equally spaced along opposite edges of a ribbon of sheet material and with .the slots along one edge portion ofiset in respect to the slots along the opposite edge portion, rolling the slotted edge portions of the sheet material into tubular rib formations and severing the web portion of the material between said tubular ribs transversely into finger portions alternately connected with the opposite ribs and in line to enter the slots in the ribs with which they are connected and in the course of said operations forming interengageable shoulders at the edges of said slots and on the entering ends of said finger portions relatively positioned to effect interlocking when the ends of said fingers are entered in said slots.

3. The herein disclosed method of manufacturing mechanical bindings comprising forming rows of aligned slots of equal length and equally spaced along opposite edges of a ribbon of sheet material and with the slots along one edge portion ofiset in respect to the slots along References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Hosking Apr. 15, 1930 Gora Nov. 23, 1937 Rosovsky Jan. 9, 1940 Beckwith Mar. 7, 1944 Merrill Nov. 25, 1952 Schwartz Mar. 17, 1953 Trussell July 21, 1953 

